Hebrews 8

A Better Ministry

1Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a 1high priest, who has taken His seat at 2the right hand of the throne of the 3Majesty in the heavens, 2a 4minister 5in the sanctuary and 6in the 7true 8tabernacle, which the Lord 9set up, not man. 3For every 10high priest is appointed 11to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. 4Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are 12those who 13offer the gifts according to the Law; 5who serve 14a copy and 15shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses 16was 17warned by God when he was about to erect the 18tabernacle; for, “19See,” He says, “that you make all things by the pattern which was shown to you on the mountain.” 6But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, to the extent that He is also the 20mediator of 21a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.

A New Covenant

7For 22if that first covenant had been free of fault, no 23circumstances would have been sought for a second. 8For in finding fault with 24the people, He says, “25Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, 26When I will bring about 27a new covenant With the house of Israel and the house of Judah,928Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers On the day I took them by the hand To bring them out of the land of Egypt; For they did not continue in My covenant, And I did not care about them, says the Lord.1029For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel After those days, declares the Lord: 30I will put My laws into their minds, And write them 31on their hearts. And I will be their God, And they shall be My people.1132And they will not teach, each one his fellow citizen, And each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ For 33they will all know Me, From 34the least to the greatest of them.1235For I will be merciful toward their wrongdoings, 36And their sins I will no longer remember.” 1337When He said, “38A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. 39But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is 40about to disappear.